Page 122 of Courtside

David caught the moment Brinley’s eyes widened. “Mom, I don’t think —”

“We’ll be fine,” Cheryl interrupted.

David gave Brinley quick directions to their seats, and then he was left alone with his girlfriend’s terrifying mother.

“I can’t say that I’m happy to meet you, Mr. Hughes.”

David forced himself to take a deep breath. “Ma’am, I —”

“I know all about men like you. Men who see someone beautiful like Sage and think that they can take advantage of her.”

A wave of frustration rose in him. “Ms. Fogerty.” He forced his voice to remain even. “Respectfully, I care about your daughter. I’ve been lucky enough to count her as a friend this past year, and you should know that there is nothing,nothing, I wouldn’t do to see her happy.” He made sure that Cheryl was looking him in the eye before he continued. “And that includes walking away. If she ever asked me to leave I’d go, if what waited on the other side was her happiness.”

Something shifted in Cheryl’s expression and she looked down. David waited. After a long breath of silence Cheryl looked up, a look on her face that reminded David of his own mother. “All that I want is what’s best for her.”

David nodded. “Me too. Sage is incredibly capable and stronger than I’ll ever be, and there’s not a doubt in my mind that she’ll succeed in whatever she decides to do. I plan to stand by her side as she figures it all out, and if at any point she needs me, I’m going to be there for her. I’ll be there, ready to reassure her that accepting my help is not a sign of weakness but of strength.”

He thought about Sage, about the fact that she had a job and a path forward, one that she’d found all on her own. About the pride and excitement in her eyes when she talked about what was coming in the future. He thought about all of the times she said “we” when she talked about what came next, like there wasn’t even a glimmer of doubt in her mind that David was a part of it. A part of her life.

There was one other thing he wanted to tell the mother of the woman who’d carved a place into his life and into the spot behind his ribs that sometimes felt like it might burst when they sat together on the couch lost in their own books. Or when they went to the Humphrey Center in the late hours before the building closed, just the two of them and a basketball, the sound of their teasing and laughter shattering the silence.

“Do you think I don’t realize how lucky I am that she’s decided that I’m worth it? That I’m worth the lectures and disapproval she’s going to have to put up with because she’s with me? An older man?” David shook his head. “I won’t ever forget that.”

Bells pealed out, signaling the top of the hour. David held Cheryl’s gaze. Her mouth tightened for a moment and then relaxed. Her expression almost looked like resignation.

“We should go inside,” David said, nodding toward the rush of people crowding the doors.

Cheryl nodded.

As he led the older woman through the crowd, he felt something in him loosen before clicking into place.

* * *

It seemed fitting that they celebrate Sage at The Grove.

It had been Maggie’s idea to congregate there. Probably because she hadn’t been able to get out of her shift, but hey, none of them were complaining.

David watched fondly as Sage threw her head back in laughter as she talked with her sister and Rebecca. She wore a dress that was green just like her name. It was flowy from her waist down and reached right above her knees. The top was tight against her skin, cut low enough in the front that it left the tan curve of the top of her breasts exposed. She looked beautiful, her outfit doing nothing to help his increasingly urgent need to get his girlfriend home and into bed as quickly as possible.

The gathered crowd was a mixture of his friends — well,theirfriends, now — and Maggie, Ms. Fogerty, Brinley, and Rohan, her boyfriend, representing Sage’s side. David’s mom had tried to come down for the party, but David had put the brakes on that idea. No matter how much his mom was begging to meet his girlfriend, he wouldn’t take away from this moment in Sage’s life.

“It all worked out for you in the end, didn’t it?”

David cocked a brow at Chuck, who came to stand beside him. “I’d sure as hell say so.”

“She’s pretty fucking great,” Chuck said, pointing his beer at Sage, who was now gesticulating wildly as she told a story.

David wasn’t used to seeing her with painted nails, but found he was rather fond of the blue that Brinley had picked out. He couldn’t wait to see her long fingers wrapped around his —

Chuck elbowed him in the side. “Get your head out of the gutter.”

David opened his mouth to protest, but his friend rolled his eyes.

“Don’t even try, man.”

Relenting, David shrugged. “Wouldn’t you if you had a woman like her?”

Chuck seemed to consider his question for a moment before shrugging. “Well, she’s not exactly my type.”

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